VZCZCXRO4954
PP RUEHDA
DE RUEHIT #0247 0850518
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 260518Z MAR 07
FM AMCONSUL ISTANBUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6799
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 6335
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA PRIORITY 2304
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS ISTANBUL 000247 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USDOC FOR 4200/ITA/MAC/EUR/PDYCK/CRUSNAK 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD EINV BEXP TU
SUBJECT: US CHAMBER-ISTANBUL CHAMBER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 
PROJECT 
 
REF: A. ISTANBUL 159 
 
     ¶B. 2006 ANKARA 5673 
 
¶1.  Summary.  Inspired by an earlier US Chamber - Turkish 
Union of Chambers (TOBB) project (ref B) designed to 
familiarize small and medium sized Turkish businesses with 
the U.S. market, the Istanbul Chamber hosted a series of 
workshops in cooperation with the U.S. Chamber on March 
20-23.  This is the first phase of a business development 
project designed to build a support infrastructure for 
efforts by medium sized Turkish companies to expand in the 
U.S. market.  The second phase of the project involves "doing 
business in Turkey" workshops to be held in three U.S. cities 
during late April/early May.  The third phase of the project 
will be a 'train the trainer' exercise designed to further 
familiarize medium sized Turkish companies with the U.S. 
market.  This private-sector led initiative complements 
government-to-government efforts to increase bilateral trade 
and investment levels such as the recently concluded Economic 
Partnership Commission talks.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  On March 20-23 the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) 
held a series of three workshops designed to educate the 
Turkish business community on ways to develop business 
opportunities in certain sectors of the U. S. market.  The 
workshops were focused on the processed food; marble, natural 
stone and tile; and furniture sectors.  Expert presenters 
from the U.S. described general market trends, regulatory and 
customs issues, logistics and distribution channels, trade 
shows and other resources as well as recounting success 
stories.   Presentations and panel discussions were followed 
by active Q&A sessions. 
 
¶3.  The second phase of this project is to facilitate "How to 
Do Business in Turkey" forums in Chicago, an as yet to be 
determined city in California and one additional U.S. city 
beginning in May.  These will be educational business 
outreach programs designed to make U.S. companies aware of 
opportunities to do business with Turkish partners.  The 
final phase will be an intensive training program in 
Washington for business counselors who will return to 
Istanbul to advise Turkish companies on how to navigate the 
U.S. market. 
 
¶4.  Comment:  This private-sector led initiative should help 
Turkish exporters deal with some of the market unfamiliarity 
concerns voiced by local business leaders to EEB A/S Sullivan 
during the February EPC meetings (ref A).  This entirely 
private sector-funded project is a natural extension of a 
partially USAID-funded business development project that 
brought together the Ankara-based Turkish Union of Chambers 
and the U.S. Chamber last year and is an example of the 
multiplier effect of the earlier project.  The U.S. Chamber 
organizer told us that they were hopeful that this project 
could be expanded to include more sectors as well as cities 
other than Istanbul.  End Comment. 
JONES